What's wrong with the sun? ( whats up with all the terrariums and greenhouses")

[orlenz]

anybody grow their flaytraps outdoors in the spring and summer? whats up with all the huge carbon footprint, terrariums when you can set it outside?

 

[Bio]

I'm not sure I understand your question, but if you are asking why Dionaea shouldn't be grown in terrariums, the answer is simple. While they can be grown in terrariums, they should be grown outdoors, year round if possible, to achieve optimum growth.

 

[Not a Number]

This clone has been grown indoors under lights for 13-14 years:

 

[Tanukimo]

I grow mine outdoors year round, like most of my carnivorous plants, but in some places it may get too cold in winter for them to be kept outside. That doesn't mean you should put them in a terrarium for dormancy, though.

 

[bluemax]

The growing season for vfts here (US, the pacific northwest) is about 7 months due to seasonal temperature changes. I can bring them indoors for an additional 3 or just grow them indoors for 10 months easily with 2 months out for dormancy. With seedlings I just skip the entire first dormancy cycle. This translates into much faster growth.

 

[RSS]

VFT are not native to TX and thus the local conditions/critters don't want them to grow outside here. I'm still trying to find a way, this years loses were critter related...they ate them...

Terrariums are the only viable option I've found to grow CPs down here.

Why do you believe making a terrarium creates a huge carbon footprint? A TV for instance would be so much larger.

 

[SubRosa]

I grow mine outdoors in zone 6B, several hundred miles north of, and much colder than their natural range. Mine survived the most brutal winter in recent history in a half barrel above ground. In the same barrel I had a Spiranthes odorata, a plant native to regions ranging from south of VFT country to areas well north of here. It didn't make it. Ime as long as I keep them moist and in bright sun, VFTs, at least the typical one I have, are as bulletproof as any plant I grow.

 

[RSS]

Ime as long as I keep them moist

This is why I grow in terrariums, during the 2-6w hottest part of the summer in order to keep anything moist I would need to water multiple times a day. I tried 5g buckets last year and I needed to fill them every day it was so hot and dry. Weeks of 110+ 0% humidity weather does not work well for CPs.

While I only need maybe a gallon a month to grow the same plants indoors.

When your in a drought every year water is more important than a lot of other issues.

 

[Whimgrinder]

I've not tried growing flaytraps before - they sound very exciting! I'll have to see if I can locate one.

 

[DragonsEye]

I've not tried growing flaytraps before - they sound very exciting! I'll have to see if I can locate one.

Have care if you should succeed, Paul. They can be vicious!

 

[Not a Number]

I grow some indoors all year round and some outdoor all year round. The ones indoor actually do better than the ones outdoors. But you are right, the sun is free and you are not using resources the produce much CO2.

There are many practical reasons to grow them indoors. One may not have access to an area where they can be grown outdoors. Or the plants could get stolen. A few years ago one member didn't want to grow his/her VFTs outside because he/she was afraid they would get stolen. The "you have to grow VFTs outdoors" crowd bullied the member into growing them outdoors and guess what - the plants got stolen.

Venus Flytraps have high recognition value and make tempting targets for neighborhood kids or passerbys.

See also:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php/136962-Stolen-CPs-What-a-bummer!

 

[Zath]

Fortunately, I live in an area not too dissimilar to their habitat, so I do grow mine outside all year round. Even in the winter, I can stick them in the garage to protect them from deep-freezes, while still letting them have a natural dormancy.

That being said...there are VFT's in my terrarium atm. I like to think of them as being in post-op recovery. They'll be back outside in two shakes of a Drosera tentacle.